{"id":1789800,"date":"2020-12-16T10:16:50","date_gmt":"2020-12-16T15:16:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.maproomblog.com\/?p=1789800"},"modified":"2020-12-16T10:16:50","modified_gmt":"2020-12-16T15:16:50","slug":"the-critical-role-of-maps-in-video-games","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.maproomblog.com\/2020\/12\/the-critical-role-of-maps-in-video-games\/","title":{"rendered":"The ‘Critical Role’ of Maps in Video Games"},"content":{"rendered":"

In a long piece for Canadian Geographic<\/em><\/a> that came out in May 2019, Aaron Kylie explores a subject that really should get more attention: maps in video games. “Maps have long played a critical role in video games, whether serving as the primary user interface, a player reference tool or both. This virtual cartographic world (and its remarkable Canadian connections), however, remains widely unheralded, even as mapping has become increasingly important to many games.” The focus of the article is Assassin’s Creed Odyssey<\/em>, though Kylie touches on other games as well. [The History of Cartography Project<\/a>]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

In a long piece for Canadian Geographic that came out in May 2019, Aaron Kylie explores a subject that really should get more attention: maps in video games. “Maps have long played a critical role… More<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"link","meta":{"autoblue_enabled":true,"autoblue_custom_message":"","autoblue_shares":[],"autoblue_post_url":"","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[467],"tags":[262],"class_list":["post-1789800","post","type-post","status-publish","format-link","hentry","category-games","tag-video-games","post_format-post-format-link"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":1789740,"url":"https:\/\/www.maproomblog.com\/2020\/12\/a-history-of-maps-in-games\/","url_meta":{"origin":1789800,"position":0},"title":"A History of Maps in Games","author":"Jonathan Crowe","date":"2 December 2020","format":"link","excerpt":"Matthew Edney explores the history of maps and games, beginning with the three basic forms of early map games: playing cards, board games, and puzzles, all of which had the \u201cimprovement\u201d of youth as their aim. Over time game maps became more abstract (grids, simplifications) and puzzle pieces didn\u2019t follow\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Antique Maps"","block_context":{"text":"Antique Maps","link":"https:\/\/www.maproomblog.com\/category\/antique-maps\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":4049,"url":"https:\/\/www.maproomblog.com\/2017\/03\/fantasy-rpg-mapmakers\/","url_meta":{"origin":1789800,"position":1},"title":"Fantasy RPG Mapmakers","author":"Jonathan Crowe","date":"20 March 2017","format":"link","excerpt":"Geek and Sundry looks at four cartographers who make maps for role-playing games: Dyson, Derek Ruiz (Elven Tower), Mike Schley\u00a0and Deven Rue (Rue Ink). Previously:\u00a0The RPG Maps of Dyson\u2019s Dodecahedron.","rel":"","context":"In "Games"","block_context":{"text":"Games","link":"https:\/\/www.maproomblog.com\/category\/games\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":1763,"url":"https:\/\/www.maproomblog.com\/2016\/04\/the-rpg-maps-of-dysons-dodecahedron\/","url_meta":{"origin":1789800,"position":2},"title":"The RPG Maps of Dyson’s Dodecahedron","author":"Jonathan Crowe","date":"27 April 2016","format":"link","excerpt":"Dyson's Dodecahedron\u00a0started out as a blog about role-playing games that over time transformed itself into a source of dungeon maps; the impetus was\u00a0a dungeon he'd written up for a one-page dungeon contest: I wasn\u2019t happy with the map I drew for that dungeon, and started looking at the maps drawn\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Games"","block_context":{"text":"Games","link":"https:\/\/www.maproomblog.com\/category\/games\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"crypts-and-sewers","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.maproomblog.com\/xq\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/04\/crypts-and-sewers-1024x696.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.maproomblog.com\/xq\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/04\/crypts-and-sewers-1024x696.jpg?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.maproomblog.com\/xq\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/04\/crypts-and-sewers-1024x696.jpg?resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.maproomblog.com\/xq\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/04\/crypts-and-sewers-1024x696.jpg?resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":1807670,"url":"https:\/\/www.maproomblog.com\/2022\/06\/some-critical-essays-on-maps-in-speculative-fiction-and-fantasy\/","url_meta":{"origin":1789800,"position":3},"title":"Some Critical Essays on Maps in Speculative Fiction and Fantasy","author":"Jonathan Crowe","date":"14 June 2022","format":"link","excerpt":"The summer 2018 issue of Modern Language Studies had a \u201cspecial cluster\u201d on maps and speculative fiction (special cluster presumably being what you call it when your special theme doesn\u2019t take up the entire issue). Behind a paywall, but there appear to be articles on planetary cartography and Le Guin,\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Games"","block_context":{"text":"Games","link":"https:\/\/www.maproomblog.com\/category\/games\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":1784989,"url":"https:\/\/www.maproomblog.com\/2018\/02\/the-pyeongchang-winter-games-maps-and-toponyms\/","url_meta":{"origin":1789800,"position":4},"title":"The Pyeongchang Winter Games: Maps and Toponyms","author":"Jonathan Crowe","date":"13 February 2018","format":"link","excerpt":"The official Pyeongchang 2018 website has maps of the various facilities for the Winter Games, though except for the Pyeongchang Olympic Plaza and Gangneung Olympic Park maps, there isn't a lot of detail. Some of that is ameliorated by this Story Map of Olympic venues, which makes use of DigitalGlobe\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Sport & Recreation"","block_context":{"text":"Sport & Recreation","link":"https:\/\/www.maproomblog.com\/category\/sport-recreation\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.maproomblog.com\/xq\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/02\/pyeongchang-venues.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.maproomblog.com\/xq\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/02\/pyeongchang-venues.jpg?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.maproomblog.com\/xq\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/02\/pyeongchang-venues.jpg?resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.maproomblog.com\/xq\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/02\/pyeongchang-venues.jpg?resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":1788753,"url":"https:\/\/www.maproomblog.com\/2020\/04\/the-magnificent-maps-puzzle-book\/","url_meta":{"origin":1789800,"position":5},"title":"The Magnificent Maps Puzzle Book","author":"Jonathan Crowe","date":"16 April 2020","format":"link","excerpt":"I missed Philip Parker\u2019s Magnificent Maps Puzzle Book when it came out in Britain from British Library Publishing last October, but it seems to be available in North America this month (the logistics of delivering physical books during a pandemic permitting). From the publisher: \u201cIt features carefully devised questions inspired\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Games"","block_context":{"text":"Games","link":"https:\/\/www.maproomblog.com\/category\/games\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"The Magnificent Maps Puzzle Book (cover)","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.maproomblog.com\/xq\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/magnificent-maps-puzzle-book-195x300.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.maproomblog.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1789800","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.maproomblog.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.maproomblog.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.maproomblog.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.maproomblog.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1789800"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.maproomblog.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1789800\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1789801,"href":"https:\/\/www.maproomblog.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1789800\/revisions\/1789801"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.maproomblog.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1789800"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.maproomblog.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1789800"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.maproomblog.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1789800"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}